Just 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week could slash dementia risk by 41 per cent in older adults, according to groundbreaking research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, suggest that even minimal exercise could provide significant protection against one of the most common conditions affecting the elderly.
The research analysed data from nearly 90,000 UK adults who participated in the UK Biobank project.
Participants wore smart-watch-type activity trackers to monitor their physical activity for one week between February 2013 and December 2015.
Higher levels of activity correspond with greater reductions in dementia risk
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The study followed participants' health status for an average of 4.4 years through November 2021, during which 735 people were diagnosed with dementia.
The researchers found that higher physical activity levels corresponded with greater reductions in dementia risk.
While those doing 35-69.9 minutes weekly, saw their risk drop by 60 per cent, participants achieving 70-139.9 minutes experienced a 63 per cent reduction.
Those exercising 140 minutes or more per week showed the greatest benefit, with a 69 per cent lower risk of developing dementia.
"Our findings suggest that increasing physical activity, even as little as five minutes per day, can reduce dementia risk in older adults," said Dr Amal Wanigatunga, assistant professor at the Bloomberg School's Department of Epidemiology.
"This adds to a growing body of evidence that some exercise is better than nothing, especially with regard to an ageing-related disorder that affects the brain that currently has no cure."
Crucially, the study found that the protective effects of exercise held true even for frail older adults who might be at higher risk of health complications.
"This suggests that even frail or nearly frail older adults might be able to reduce their dementia risk through low-dose exercise," noted Dr Wanigatunga.
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Researchers stress that the finding could be a 'quirk' of the study design PAThe findings are particularly significant as current official guidelines recommend 150 minutes of weekly exercise, which may be unattainable for many older adults.
According to NHS England, around 676,000 people have dementia in England.
In the whole of the UK, the number of people of people with dementia is estimated at 850,000.
The health body states: "Dementia mainly affects older people and after the age of 65, the likelihood of developing dementia roughly doubles every five years. However, for some dementia can develop earlier, presenting different issues for the person affected, their carer and their family."
